Ready Or Not
by Lady Emily
Summary: Shoes aren't allowed at Maddie and Zack's beach wedding... but neither are cold feet! One shot.


A/N: All right, so I was ready to write some non-Cailey again, and this time I mostly succeeded... I don't feel like I know Maya well enough to write her yet, and I do love weddings, so try this on for size. It's really a sequel to my story "That Much Sweeter" (which follows "Better Than Fine" and "Fifty Nine Minutes") but you don't really need to read any of those to understand what's going on (although if you haven't, I hope you do, hint hint!) Enjoy! And remember that if you review I will love you forever.

Disclaimer: None of the characters in this story are mine, and I am making no profit from writing this story. Contains some references to the SLoD episode "Maddie on Deck."

* * *

The balcony door to Madeline Fitzpatrick's hotel suite slid open and London Tipton entered, along with a whoosh of hot air. "Whew, it's warm out there!"

Maddie turned from her spot in front of the full length mirror, smoothing her white gown with her hands. "Thanks for the weather report, London. So glad you could join us in here..."

"She might as well: the ceremony's in half an hour." Bailey Martin quipped from her relaxed position on the couch. "Her tan's already as good as it's going to get."

London peered around Maddie, taking in her own appearance in the mirror. "That's true." she conceded, adjusting the straps of her knee-length seafoam green dress. "You know, Maddie, I still can't believe you won't let me wear a bikini." she pouted.

Maddie folded her arms over her chest. "It's my wedding and I don't think it's classy to have half-naked bridesmaids." she joked. "I don't care if I _am_ getting married on the beach."

Bailey stood up carefully, one hand supporting her back, the other supporting her pregnant belly. "Thank you, thank you, _thank you_ for not making us wear bikinis." she groaned. "Enough people will be mistaking me for a beached whale as it is."

"Aw, Bailey, that's not true." Maddie said, rubbing the other woman's shoulder sympathetically. "You look great."

"Yeah." London agreed helpfully. "Especially from the neck up!"

Bailey rolled her eyes at London's unintentionally backhanded compliment. "Ah well, it doesn't matter. Nobody will even notice me once they see how gorgeous Maddie is." she said, taking Maddie's hand and squeezing it. "I can't believe we're about to become sisters!"

"I know, it's crazy, right? I'm getting married! I'm getting married to Zack!" Maddie swallowed hard, and some of the exuberance bled out of her tone as she suddenly started feeling anxiety begin to pulse in her stomach. "I can't believe I'm getting married to Zack..."

Bailey and London exchanged _uh-oh_ glances.

Maddie looked over at Bailey, uncertainty showing on her face for the first time. "Were you nervous right before you got married to Cody?"

"Not really." Bailey answered automatically, before stopping short as she reevaluated her response. "I mean, yeah, kind of... it's a big deal, it's natural to feel-"

Maddie's jaw dropped open. "No you weren't! You weren't scared at all!" she said accusingly.

Bailey held up her hands in surrender. "What was there to be scared of? I love Cody! I was excited to marry him!"

"I don't know, weren't you worried that you were too young? That you weren't ready?" Maddie asked tentatively. "I mean, three years ago you were a college kid, and now..." she gestured at Bailey's protruding stomach. "Now you're like, a grown-up!"

"Well, you don't have to worry about being too young!" London scoffed. "Maddie, you're twenty-eight, that's practically _thirty_!"

"Oh, you're right, _I'm_ so old, Miss Twenty-Seven-and-Eleven-Twelfths." Maddie said, rolling her eyes. She sighed, shaking her head, and sat carefully on the couch. "I don't know what's come over me... I love Zack. I do want to marry him."

"Hey..." Bailey rested against the plushy arm of the couch and rubbed her back in slow, soothing motions. "It's just pre-wedding jitters. Tons of people get them."

"Yeah, Zack's probably downstairs having them right now!" London chimed in, before Bailey silenced her with a glare.

"Somehow, that doesn't make me feel better." Maddie said flatly. "I may be getting cold feet, but _he_ better be completely positive he wants to marry_ me._"

"You're not getting cold feet." Bailey reassured her. "And Zack does want to marry you. He has since you were kids, remember?"

Maddie smiled despite herself. "Yeah, the first time he declared his love for me he was eleven years old."

Bailey giggled. "Really?"

_Maddie was sitting at the kitchen table in suite 2330, hard at work on her geometry homework, when the bedroom door opened just a crack. _

_She looked up at the clock. Ten thirty. "Zack..." she said in a warning tone. "It's past your bedtime."_

_The door opened a little more and Cody came out, wearing blue pajamas and dragging his blankie behind him. "It's me." he whispered. "Where's Mom?"_

"_She's still at work. She should be home in an hour or so..." Maddie frowned, putting down her pencil. "Cody? What's the matter?" Zack, she expected to violate curfew. The mischievous, outgoing twin was always coming up with schemes to stay up and sneak out after he was supposed to be in bed. Cody, on the other hand, was a stickler for the rules._

"_Zack's sick." Cody said._

_Maddie stood up slowly. Occasionally Cody could be talked into participating in one of Zack's adventures... Was this some kind of trick? "What's wrong with him?" she asked suspiciously._

_Cody shrugged, biting his lip. "Dunno." he said. "He's still asleep."_

"_Then how do you know he's sick?" Maddie asked._

"_Dunno," Cody said again. "I just do."_

_He seemed earnest and upset, and Maddie began to feel slightly nervous. She'd heard of cases before where one twin could sense when the other was hurt, but never experienced it firsthand... It was a little creepy. She walked over to him and placed a hand on one bony shoulder. "Okay, kiddo, don't worry." she told him quietly. "You just get back in bed, and I'll make sure Zack's all right. Okay?" _

"_Okay..." Cody said slowly, as if he was skeptical that Maddie would be able to deal with the problem, but had no other choice but to trust her. Together they walked back into the dark bedroom, and Cody climbed back into bed, but didn't lie down, instead sitting up against his pillows and watching her._

_Maddie crept over to Zack's bed and crouched down beside him. "Zack?" she whispered. _

_The boy stirred slightly and Maddie sensed that Cody was right: there was something wrong. In the faint reddish glow from the Spiderman night light she could see that his skin was flushed and damp. Pushing aside a few locks of sweaty blond hair, she gently felt his forehead with the inside of her wrist. Heat was radiating off him in waves. "Zack?" she whispered again, a little louder this time._

"_He's sick." Cody repeated from the other bed._

"_I know, Codes. It's just a little fever though. Don't worry." Maddie assured Cody over her shoulder, her babysitting training kicking in. "I've got plenty of younger siblings. I know what to do." She pulled the covers off of Zack, lifting him gently off the bed and cradling him against her shoulder. "I'm just going to take him out in the living room where it's cool and get him some medicine, okay?" she told Cody. "He's going to be fine, I promise."_

"_Okay..." Cody said softly, easing himself down so that he was lying horizontally. He positioned himself so that he was facing the door, and Maddie knew she'd be kidding herself if she thought he was really going to sleep._

_Taking Zack out into the brightness of the living room seemed to revive him somewhat, and he nodded drowsily as she laid him out on the couch. First, she dashed into the bathroom, finding a clean washcloth and wetting it with cold water. Then she went into the cabinet above the stove and found the thermometer and the childrens' Motrin. Lastly, she grabbed a juice box from the fridge, and the trash can from beside the sink._

_Taking a seat next to Zack, she laid out her arsenal in front of them. "Zack? Can you sit up for me?" she asked softly, slipping the thermometer in his mouth and watching as the red liquid crept up over one hundred._

"_Maddie?" Zack stared at her through pathetic, half-lidded blue eyes. "I don't feel so good."_

"_I know, sweetie." Maddie soothed. She patted his face with the cold washcloth. "You're burning up."_

"_You're pretty hot too." Zack mumbled weakly, and even though she was worried about him, Maddie had to bite back a smile. The kid had a fever of a hundred and two and he still didn't stop hitting on her._

"_I'm flattered." she said dryly. "Okay, open up." He obediently opened his mouth and she took out the thermometer and poured him a spoonful of medicine. He made a sour face, but took it nonetheless. "How do you feel?" she asked him. "Do you need to throw up?"_

_Zack's indignant face was comically woozy. "Not in front of **you**_**.**"

_Maddie smoothed his hair back fondly, continuing to hold the washcloth to his head. "I won't hold it against you, I promise." she said. "It happens to everyone."_

"_I'm sleepy." Zack moaned, sagging against her. "And dizzy!"_

"_I know." Maddie said sympathetically. "Tell you what, drink this juice for me and then you can go back to sleep." He had trouble lining up the straw with the hole in the juice box so Maddie guided his hands. "There you go."_

_Zack drained the juice box dry, and then a second one after that. _

"_Feel any better?" Maddie asked, rubbing his back. His pajamas matched Cody's, except they were red._

_Zack nodded tiredly. "A little." _

_Maddie touched his cheek. His skin was slightly less flushed, and cooler to the touch. "Ready to go back to bed?"_

"_I don't want to go to bed. I want to stay with you." Zack pleaded. _

_Maddie smiled. Now this was the Zack she was used to. Just this once, she supposed she could give in. "Okay. You can stay here, but just rest your eyes, okay?" She guided his head down to her lap and ran her fingers through his tangled mop of fine blond hair._

"_Thanks, Maddie." Zack murmured, nuzzling his chin into her knees. He was quiet for a long time, and she almost thought he'd fallen asleep until she heard the barely audible mumble. "I love you."_

_Aww... Maddie's heart melted. Zack Martin was a handful, but he was a sweetheart. "Thank you." she whispered just as quietly, not sure whether he'd heard her, or even if he knew what he'd just said. They fell into a warm silence, Maddie continuing to stroke his head as he succumbed to sleep once more._

_By the time Carey came home the fever was gone._

"Aww!" Bailey exclaimed. "That's so cute!"

"Does it feel weird that you used to babysit your husband?" London asked with a grin.

"Nah," Maddie joked. "I'm going to be babysitting him for a _long_ time." Then she sobered up. "I guess that's what I'm so worried about."

Bailey bit her lip. "You're still freaked out?"

"Zack's matured a lot over the past few years." London reassured her.

"Well, he's matured _somewhat_." Bailey amended with a teasing smile.

"It's not him." Maddie said anxiously. "It's me. I mean, he's been in love with me all these years, and I never even took him seriously until we got together at your wedding, Bailey. Everyone always thinks of him as the player, but I'm the one who couldn't commit! I mean, look at what happened after the Prince Jeffy fiasco!"

_Maddie was still weak with relief as she and Zack "galloped" into the sunset on his "trusty steed." If she hadn't had him to lean on, she'd probably be sitting on the ground right now. _

_If she hadn't had him to fight for her, she'd probably be married to an eight-year-old right now._

_Zack gave a final hop that took them through an ornately carved doorway and into a private courtyard. It was near dusk, and the small garden was enchanting in the fading daylight- the colorful foliage, the intoxicating scent of flowers, the soothing hums and chirps of crickets. "I think that's enough horseback riding." he quipped. "My thighs are killing me."_

_Maddie laughed. "I hear that." She gave Zack her hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. They stared at each other for a long moment before she threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. _

_He hugged her back, burying his face in her blonde locks. "Hey, it's okay, Maddie. It's all over."_

_She nodded, but couldn't stop herself from shaking. Now that it was over, she realized what a close call it had been. She'd almost been captured- trapped in a farce of a marriage, in a foreign land far from her family and friends... it was like some kind of ridiculous nightmare come true. She felt a lump press against her side and reached into her pocket, withdrawing Prince Jeffy's bouncy ball of eternal commitment. She stared at it, rolling it around in her hand, a knot forming in her throat. "Zack..." she whispered._

_Zack let go of her with one hand so he could take the ball from her hand, hold it up to her eye level, and then throw it as hard as he could towards one of the castle walls. It ricocheted off the wall, the ground, a stone bench, and a rose trellis before it disappeared into a tangle of leafy plants. "It's over." he said again. "You're free, Maddie."_

_Maddie nodded again, silently willing the hot tears blurring her vision not to fall. They did anyway, and Zack gently wiped them away with the pad of his thumb. "Thank you." she finally breathed._

_Zack smiled at her tenderly, still cupping her face with one hand. "You're welcome, Princess." he said simply._

_He leaned in, and Maddie realized with shock that he was about to kiss her- not like the peck she'd given him earlier, a real kiss, a kiss with passion, and feelings deeper than friendship, and maybe even **tongue**. _

_Without ever making a conscious decision to do so, she scrambled away from him as if she'd been burned, acting on instinct, trying to ignore the hurt look on his face. "I... I guess we should get back to the ship." she said quickly. "I can't wait to get away from this place."_

_Zack looked around at their beautiful surroundings. "This place?" he asked softly._

_Something in his tone indicated that he wasn't just talking about their physical location- instead, he meant a different kind of place. A place their relationship had never been before. _

_Well, not before now, anyway. _

"_Uh... Lichtenstamp." she clarified. "So... yes." _

_Zack looked at her for a long moment before shoving his hands in his pockets. "Okay." he said in a low voice. "I'm ready to leave when you are."_

_Maddie could practically hear the words he implied: 'And I'm ready to stay when you are.'_

_The problem was, she didn't think she'd ever be ready to stay._

"So you weren't ready then," London said with a wave of her hand. "So what? You were nineteen and he was still in high school. That was then. What about now?"

Maddie bit her lip. _What about now?_ She fiddled with the diamond ring on her left hand. _What about now?_

There was a soft knock at the door and Cody poked his head in. Maddie watched as Bailey's face brightened at the sight of her husband. No matter how much they got teased for it, Bailey and Cody were truly one of the most romantic couples she knew. They'd been together for nine years- married for two- but looking at them, you'd think they'd just fallen in love. "Hey ladies. We got a wedding in t minus five." he reminded them. "Be there, or humiliate Zack."

Maddie gave him a halfhearted smile and stood to greet him. "Come on in, Cody."

Cody entered, taking in the sight of Maddie in her wedding dress. "You look beautiful, Maddie." he said warmly, taking her hands and squeezing them before turning to wink at his wife. "Maybe even more beautiful than _my_ girl."

Bailey shook her head at his teasing. "Today's the one day you're allowed to think that." she said, beaming at Maddie. "She does look amazing."

"Zack sent me up to make sure you weren't getting cold feet." Cody said. Missing the alarmed look that passed between all three women, he continued, "Although if you are it's probably because not one of you is wearing shoes!"

London curled her lip at him. "Please, Cody. It's a beach wedding. Do you know what sand does to shoes?"

"More importantly, do you know what wearing shoes in sand does to girls' ankles?" Maddie asked. Leave it to London to worry about the shoes themselves- Maddie was more worried about having to go on her honeymoon wearing a cast.

"_More_ importantly, do you even think there _are_ shoes that would fit on these swollen banana boats that used to be my feet?" Bailey complained good-naturedly.

Cody was by her side in an instant, taking her hand and urging her to sit down. "Do they hurt, Bails?" he asked sympathetically.

"Oh, no more than usual." Bailey answered. "I was only-" she stopped, gasping. "Oh my god. Oh my god!"

Cody's eyes widened in panic. "Bailey, are you-?" He stopped short as she took his hand and pressed it to her stomach. "Oh my god." he whispered. "Is that-?"

Bailey nodded excitedly, her eyes filled with happy tears. "The baby! The baby's kicking!"

Maddie felt London clasp her hand, and together the two girls watched the elated parents embrace each other. Cody bent to press a kiss to his wife's round stomach, then straightened to kiss her deeply on the mouth. "This is incredible. You're incredible." he whispered to her. She kissed him back, giggling with exhilaration.

Maddie opened her mouth hesitantly, not wanting to intrude on their familial bliss, but before she could say a word Bailey reached out and took her hand, laying it on her baby bump. Maddie gasped as she felt the sudden, slight movement under her fingers. "Wow..." she breathed, awestruck.

"I hope this isn't Maddie's wedding present, you stingy misers." London accused teasingly. Cody and Bailey chuckled.

"I wouldn't care if it was! This is so great!" Maddie cried. "Congratulations, you two!"

"Three!" London pointed out, before tentatively reaching out to feel the baby's movement for herself. It kicked and she looked from Bailey to Cody with delight. "Looks like you did it right." she said approvingly, causing Maddie, Bailey, and Cody to burst into laughter.

"Now wait a minute!" Bailey exclaimed after a minute or so. "Don't we have some sort of family function to be attending? The baby's not going anywhere... for another few months at least."

Maddie nodded, but she didn't remove her hand from Bailey's stomach. She felt privileged to be a part of this special moment, but at the same time she was affected in a deeper way. She wanted this- the loving husband, the family, the house in the suburbs, and today was the start of it all. "Okay!" she said. "Let's do this thing. And Cody, lose the shoes."

Cody looked down at the brown leather shoes he was wearing with his tan slacks and white button-down shirt. "I really have to take them off?" he complained.

"She's the bride, and she says barefoot." London demanded cheerfully.

Cody shook his head as he toed off the shoes. "A wedding on the beach." he snorted softly. "Whose idea was that?"

Maddie smiled.

"_We are so high up. We are so high up... I can't believe I let you talk me into getting onto this rattling death trap." Maddie chanted, clinging to the side of their open-air car and trying not to estimate how far from the ground they were._

_Zack shot her that irresistible grin of his. "Relax, Sweet Thang. This ferris wheel's been here for like fifty years. Nothing bad's going to happen."_

"_Oh, so it's a rattling death trap that's older than my mother. That makes me feel better!" Maddie said sarcastically, shivering. The combination of the altitude and the breeze blowing in from the sea made for a bit of a chilly ride._

_Zack leaned forward and took her hand, causing the car to wobble slightly, and Maddie to glare at him in terror. "Come on, baby. It's not so bad. And check out the incredible view!" He pointed out the hustle and bustle of the boardwalk, the burning, shimmering sands of the beach, the sparkling green ocean far below them. "You can see for miles!"_

_Maddie smoothed back her wind-whipped hair and grudgingly admired the view. "It is beautiful." she conceded with a smile. At that moment their car reached the top of the rotating wheel, affording them the best view of their surroundings... just before the wheel came to a shuddering halt. Maddie gasped in shock, squeezing her eyes shut. "We're gonna die." she whimpered, squeezing her boyfriend's hand until both their knuckles were white._

"_Not today." Zack said, trying and failing not to cringe at the pressure she was putting on his hand. "Don't worry, Maddie. These things happen all the time. They'll get it fixed in a few minutes, we just have to sit tight."_

"_Well considering my only other option is **plummeting to my death...**" Maddie said hotly._

_Zack laughed. "We're safe. I promise." Leaning forward again- slowly this time, so as not to rock the gondola- he picked up both of her hands and brushed a kiss against each one before meeting her lips with his own. _

_Her anger at their precarious predicament faded away as the kiss gained momentum and he let go of one of her hands to cup the back of her head. When they pulled apart they were both warm and flushed, despite the chill of the wind. "Don't think one amazing kiss is going to distract me from the death-defying position you've gotten us into." she told him sternly, eyes twinkling._

_Zack frowned. "Hmm. Well I'll have to think of something else to distract you then." he pointed out over the ocean at a small boat beyond the breaking waves. "See that? It's called a patrol boat."_

_Maddie squinted at the distant boat. "It is?" She pointed at a farther, larger boat. "What's that one called?"_

"_That one looks like a destroyer." Zack told her, digging a hand into his jacket pocket._

"_And that one?" Maddie pointed again._

"_Aircraft carrier." _

"_No way." Maddie smacked him in the arm with her purse. "You're just stealing boat types from the game Battleship!"_

_Zack's grin gave him away. "Yes, yes I am."_

"_You spent two years at sea and you're telling me you think **that** is an aircraft carrier?" Maddie scoffed._

"_To be fair, I was on a cruise ship, not in the Navy." Zack pointed out. "I have no trouble identifying a buffet table or a shuffleboard court!"_

"_But there's clearly no aircraft on that thing!"_

"_Yeah, but it just looks like it would take five pegs to sink it."_

_Maddie laughed. "You're crazy."_

"_Crazy about you." Zack said with a grin. He pulled his hand out of his pocket. In it was a small box. "Maddie... marry me."_

_He flipped open the box and a diamond ring sparkled at her in the late afternoon sun. "Oh my god... Zack!" Maddie gasped. "Did you plan all this?"_

"_No, Maddie. We're actually stuck." Zack laughed. "I've been carrying this ring around for a month, waiting for the perfect time to ask you... but the perfect time hasn't come yet and I'm too impatient to wait for it."_

_Forgetting her fear of heights, Maddie launched herself across the car and into his arms, setting their creaky car swinging wildly._

"_Whoa!" Zack yelped, catching her and holding her tight as their gondola continued to rock. "Wow, I am both literally and figuratively being left hanging." There was a noisy creak as the ride began to move again. Zack and Maddie both breathed sighs of relief. "Okay, now I'm only figuratively being left hanging." he joked._

_Their car passed the loading platform on the ground and swung upwards once more, carrying them back into the sky, but this time Maddie wasn't admiring the view below. Instead she focused on the anxious expression of the man in front of her, and the box he held in his hand. He raised his eyebrows, and in that instant Maddie knew what her answer was going to be._

"_Well, Madeline Fitzpatrick, how about it?" Zack said softly, this time phrasing it as a question. "Will you marry me?"_

_She took a deep breath. "Yes." she whispered happily. "I will." She couldn't keep herself from smiling brightly as Zack met her eyes with an excited grin of his own._

"_I love you so much." he told her, looking positively giddy with relief and happiness. He removed the engagement ring from its velvet lining and stuck the box back in his pocket before taking her hand once more. His hand shook slightly as he slid the ring onto her finger._

"_I love you too." she answered, sliding her right hand to the back of his neck and tugging him into a passionate kiss._

_Neither of them noticed when the ride came to a stop once more, this time, on the loading platform. The ride attendant cleared his throat twice before tapping Zack on the shoulder sheepishly. The pair separated, blushing._

"_Sorry!" Maddie apologized to the embarrassed attendant as she allowed Zack to help her out of the car. She held up her left hand. "We're engaged!"_

_The man gave them an understanding smile. "Ah. Congratulations!"_

_Zack and Maddie thanked him and descended the steps onto the boardwalk, but Maddie turned back to look wistfully at the ferris wheel, shining in the sunlight, picturesquely framed against the golden sand and the jade ocean. A regretful feeling welled up in her, a feeling that the most magical moment of her life was just behind her. "I don't want to leave." she whispered. "I wish we could stay here forever."_

"_Me too." Zack kissed her temple, winding his arms around her from behind. "But we'll come back." he promised. "We have the rest of our life." _

_Our life, Maddie thought. Just one. Together. She leaned back against him, watching the waves crash up on the sand, content. "The rest of our life. I can deal with that."_

"It was a mutual decision." she found herself explaining to Cody. "He proposed to me at the beach."

Cody nodded. "On top of the ferris wheel. I know... For Zack, that's actually pretty romantic." he conceded.

"It was." Maddie sighed.

"Oh." Cody said, "I almost forgot. Zack told me to give you a message: that this is the perfect time."

"The perfect time for what?" London wondered.

Maddie recognized the words immediately, remembering Zack's proposal. _I've been carrying this ring around for a month, waiting for the perfect time to ask you... but the perfect time hasn't come yet and I'm too impatient to wait for it... _She smiled. It was Zack's way of telling her that now, he was ready. This was the perfect time. "Well, Cody, tell him I said yes." she said. _Yes, I will marry you. Again. Still._

Cody didn't seem to understand the message, but nodded anyway. "You got it, sis. I'll tell him."

Maddie gave him a hug just for calling her _sis._ "Thanks. Now get down there, Cody- I expect to see you standing just to Zack's right when I come down in two minutes."

"You will." he returned the hug. "See you on the beach." With a wink at Maddie and a last lingering kiss for Bailey, he pushed out the door.

Bailey and London immediately crowded around her. "Cold feet?" Bailey asked anxiously.

Maddie shook her head confidently, curls bouncing. "All gone."

"Yay!" London crowed. "So you're ready now?"

Maddie pulled her friends close, one arm around London's shoulders, the other around Bailey's waist. "Yeah." she said. "I'm ready now."

"And excited?" Bailey pressed hopefully.

There were still butterflies in her stomach, but they weren't nerves anymore, Maddie realized. She _was_ excited. Excited for marriage, for a family, for the rest of their life. And especially for this wedding. "Really excited." she said honestly, meeting Bailey's gaze.

Bailey nodded approvingly. "Then let's go, Mrs. Martin."

Maddie grinned and held open the door for her. "After you, Mrs. Martin."

Bailey and Maddie stepped into the hall, leaving London to close and lock the door. As she put the room key back in her purse, the heiress cocked her head, turning to her two friends. "I know Mr. Moseby doesn't manage this hotel," she said nervously. "But do you think he'll yell at us for not wearing shoes in the lobby?"


End file.
